Holocaust Folktale

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

This fairytale was written as the story of Hansel and Gretel but tells the story of two siblings who escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in Poland.  It is the story of how the two children are forced to leave their father and stepmother and survive on their own in the forest while there is horror going on around them. 

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

This book is a rendition of "Sleeping Beauty."  A grandmother, who tells her three granddaughters the same bedtime story every night, had lived in Germany during the Holocaust.  She, along with many others, were taken in a truck and "gassed."  Everyone died but her.  When Josef, also a target of the Holocaust, came across the pile of dead bodies, he noticed that she was still breathing.  He gave her "the kiss of life" allowing her to get married, have kids, and live a somewhat normal life.

Mara's Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness by Gary Schmidt

What is one to do to pass the time in a concentration camp?  A young girl named Mara tells stories to the women and children.  The stories are folktales she tells are about the gathering of the Jews, the camps, and the gas chambers.  She also tells of Jewish traditions, from legends of magic and swindler’s tales to prayers.